They may seem an unlikely pair, but Chris Martin and Jay-Z are closer than you may think.

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"We're from very different backgrounds. But we love the same stuff everyone else loves," Martin, 34, tells online music magazine Pitchfork.

"I love his music, and he's a super cool guy, and he's genuine. I respect his decisions, and we have the same feelings about trying to be true in your art. It just happens that one of us is a nerd and the other is the coolest multi-entrepreneur on the planet."

Martin - whose latest album with Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto, has been getting rave reviews - may not be giving himself enough credit.

The musician and wife Gwyneth Paltrow snagged a coveted invite to Beyoncé and Jay-Z's intimate wedding in 2008, and the two women are also good friends.

"I think more people wonder why he's friends with me. Of course, I want to be friends with Jay-Z - he's cool as f---," Martin admits. "In Britain, they're like, 'How are you friends with Jay-Z?' It's almost like they're jealous. It's the same with my wife: 'How the f--- did you manage to do that?' And my answer is: 'I have no idea.' "

Aside from having music and superstar wives in common, the two also share a love of football.

"We do play touch football. He's very good at American football - not only does he have all these other talents, but he can throw a perfect spiral," Martin adds. "And then, on the other end, it smacks me in the head. In England, no one teaches you how to throw a spiral, so mine looks like an egg slowly limping through the air."